Picking Up the Pieces
by battlehammer's son
Summary: Begins with final battle and goes through a year of Harrys emotional recovery maybe more
1. forgiveness

**alright guys this is my first fic so im open to constructive criticism but i dont want any flamesits a good story atleast the begining of one i dont have a beta right now so anyone thats willing to help id be greatful for it**

Forgiveness

The battle had been going on for hours bodies of the dead littered the ground in the atrium at the ministry of magic. "how appropriate," the dark lord had said, "that the group which had spent their time denying my existence would be the first that I truly destroyed." One man from the beginning of the battle had tried to hide or appear the casual observer. Waiting so that he might claim to have sided and fought with the victors of this battle which would determine the fate of the world. This man was the reason that the dark lord had been able to return, the reason that Lily and James Potter were dead, and the reason that Sirius Black was forced to spend twelve years in Azkaban prison . This man was Peter Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew had at one time been one of the Potters closest friends, had been a member of James potters inner circle since his first days at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Among the people who knew him best he was known as Wormtail. This was because he was an animagus, or a wizard who can change into an animal at will. Peter Pettigrew's animal form was a rat, one with no hair on its tail. All of this information is important because it lends insight into the kind of person Peter Pettigrew once was and then became.

The battle had started several hours ago when the dark lord had decided to take control of the ministry of magic. At first the battle was known only to those death eaters who were considered loyal enough to participate in the attack and the Aurors at the ministry of magic. However soon after the battle had begun, Harry Potter had shown up with his friends and the staff of Hogwarts to aid those defending the ministry. As soon as Potter arrived Pettigrew knew that Remus Lupin the last remaining member of the group that he had betrayed would not be far behind. He also knew that Remus would not hesitate to commit the crime which Sirius black had been placed in Azkaban for nearly sixteen years previously. Recognizing these facts Pettigrew decided that safest course of action would be to run and hide in order to save his own skin. He tried to transform into his animal self but recognized quickly that someone had put a charm in place which would incapacitate anyone who tried to perform a human transfiguration. Unfortunately he only recognized this problem as he was about to succumb to the effects of the spell and darkness overcame him.

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"_hey rat, get up"_

"_Sirius be nice remember he has a job to do"_

Two voices peter recognized called him back to what he thought was consciousness.

"what where am I? What happened"

"_Peter you blacked out you are currently unconscious, as soon as we are done talking to you, you will return to the realm of the living though only for a short time?" said a voice belonging to a man Peter thought that he would never see again, James Potter._

"James what are you doing here "

"_I told you we must have a talk in order that my son does not die " _

"_And he's the only one restraining me from kicking your ass six ways from Sunday right now you miserable piece of crap," said another voice belonging to a man he had seen and talked to much more recently._

"Sirius I thought that you were dead"

"_I am dead, I died two years ago tomorrow"_

_At this point James interrupted again "Sirius we have important matters to attend you two can talk about your anger later when he joins us permanently"_

" what, am I going to die tonight?" this thought scarred peter more than he let on. He had been trying to stay alive for the last sixteen years knowing that your death was imminent was not a comforting fact

"_Yes peter you are going to die tonight no matter what the outcome of the battle that is why we have intervened and brought you here." this time the voice was much more feminine in nature and belonged to one of the only women whom he had ever truly cared for_

"Lily? I am so sorry for my actions on that night it was a moment of weakness….." peter tried to apologize but was cut off by Sirius.

"_don't you dare try to apologize now you had sixteen years."_

_Once again James came to the rescue of the little man who had done so many terrible things "SIRIUS! that's enough. Peter we know it was a moment of weakness, but you have still done some terrible things now is your time to remedy those mistakes."_

"How James what must I do"

" _Peter, Lily and I have already told you that you are going to die tonight now you must learn of the two possibilities which remain open to you in what remains of your time on earth. You must either betray your master and die by his hands or stay on your current course and watch my son die and then be killed by the person you once called your friend."_

_At this point lily took over the talking, " Peter if you choose to remain the course that you are on you will never reach the afterlife you will be forced to roam the earth as a ghoul witnessing those experience that which you have lost, life, if this happens you will roam the earth until your spirits mind wastes away and you disappear from existence. However if you choose to betray Voldemort, yes that is his name and you must realize that it is nothing more than a hollow quest for power, then you will be permitted to enter the after life, and from there I'm sure that Sirius will forgive you eventually, james and I already have, we forgave you a long time ago, we realized that we would have died no matter what our only sorrow was that you implicated one of your friends and sent him to living hell in the process." _

" Yes, Sirius, I'm sorry for that if I could make it up to you I would."

"_You can. You must save Harry if you do this then I might be able to eventually look past the fact that you killed my two best friends."_

_Once again james spoke. " Peter my friend our time is up, you have a choice in front of you. Stay your current course die and watch as the world is thrown into darkness forever or die saving our son and the world from the worst person to ever walk its surface."_

_Lily spoke for a final time though this time her voice was faint "Peter save my son if there is anything that living here has made me realize it is that no one can hold a grudge forever."_

_And with that the three people disappeared leaving only a bright light until all once again became black._

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As the diminutive man regained what was really consciousness he felt the battle still waging around him.

"Pettigrew are you alright we must return to the masters service his battle with Potter has begun" came a voice from beneath a white mask that could only belong to Lucius Malfoy.

In that instant Peter knew the death he would choose, the heroes death saving a man from a fate that it is not yet his time to meet. Slowly rising and stretching out his wand arm peter said slowly, "Why Lucius I didn't know that you cared so much about your fellow man. Here you have a cut in your chest let me heal it for you before we go to witness the death of the Potter brat." pointing his wand at the mans chest his face contorted into one of pure rage he cried before the other man could react, "Reducto!" his spell although not particularly powerful was at a range of less than one foot and blasted a hole clear through the blonde mans chest. At this point he saw another man in black robes fighting a fellow DeathEater. "Ah Snape so this is what it feels like to betray the Dark Lord" Pettigrew mumbled under his breath, " no wonder you have been doing so for nearly twenty years"

At that moment peter Pettigrew heard a shout of what could only be pure agony he turned to see the boy he had once called his nephew writhe in pain clearly under the effects of the cruciatus curse. Running towards the boy he felt the emotions of the three people he had just finished taking to rise to the surface. He knew that the next spell that the Dark Lord cast would be the last one in the duel between Potter and V…V…Voldemort. Running faster than he ever had before he witnessed Voldemort cast the fatal killing curse with a final burst he jumped into the air and intercepted the spell. He knew that Harry would now be able to finish the defeat of the Dark Lord for unknown to Harry, Voldemort had created another horcrux the night of the third tri-wizard task and that horcrux had been the silver hand which he had given to Pettigrew the destruction of the horcrux allowed peter one final breath which he used to send two words to the boy-who-lived "for Lily," and with that he died.

With the destruction of the final horcrux and the death of the servant that had returned him to his body Voldemort knew that he was greatly weakened magically but he also knew that Potter could not possibly know of the other horcruxes. "Ah Harry, my servant has died trying to protect you it is a shame that he failed so pitifully."

The young man looked back at him stoically. I don't know Tom I think that I might finally be able to beat you. You see I knew about the horcruxes Dumbledore told me of them right before he died. I have destroyed the locket, the book, the cup, and your snake have you been wondering where she is tonight, and if you think that you still have the ring to protect you then I am glad to inform you that Dumbledore destroyed it prior to my sixth year at Hogwarts, you are completely defenseless now there is nothing to protect you from death it is a shame that I must become a murderer over a piece of shit like yourself."

At this Voldemort fired of the strongest killing curse he could muster, unfortunately the love Pettigrew felt as he died was strong enough to rebound the curse back on its maker, this time Voldemort did not pass into the life of a spirit like he once had, instead he died and with a final shriek his body became one of the hundreds of dead littering the ground in the atrium of the ministry of magic.

As the green light rebounded off of harry potter he felt pain like he had never felt before, well maybe once on a night sixteen years ago when another killing curse was reflected by the love of a mother for her son. The pain was so unbearable that he passed out only to be found several hours later by none other than the man who had brought him to the Dursleys all those years before Rubeus Hagrid, accompanied by Ginny Weasley, the love of his very tough and very short life.


	2. waking up is hard to deal with

**So second chapter.I forgot to do this the firs time andI hate it when people think that they can be witty with their disclaimers well I'm not going to try its been overdone. So here it isI don't own this and in factI make no monetary gain off of doing this.**

**Picking up the pieces**

**Chapter one: Waking up is hard to deal with**

The man had been unconscious for three days. He was lying in his hospital bed finally gaining rest from the nightmares which had plagued his dreams since the fight that he had been in. The woman in the chair beside him was in a remarkable state of distress also finally sleeping for the first time in days. The only other man in the room showed a similar state of disrepair while baring his heat to the man who slept in the bed.

"Harry please wake up we know you're in there we know you don't want this but the people need you Ginny needs you. We all need you. Me, you're the last link I have to my life and my friends, to lily, James Sirius and yes even peter you are the last person to have seen him alive…."

"Remus can't a guy get some rest?" came a hoarse interruption

"Harry, you're awake" Remus stated bluntly.

"Well it's kind of hard to sleep with you yakking like that, where is everybody?" harry asked after taking a slow drink of water.

Everyone's in the great hall waiting for you to wake the only two aloud to see you are myself and Ginny" Remus responded

At this the girl in the chair next to the bed finally began to stir, "somebody call my name?" she said sleepily.

No beautiful just Remus talking to much once again." harry replied

Turning back over the young woman responded, "okay harry…………wait **_Harry_** you're awake!" she finished frantically rushing over to wrap her arms around him and placing herself on the bed next to him.

"Yeah for about five minutes now, I was wondering when you were going to catch on. Remus, can you go get Madame Pomphrey please I would assume that I'm in the hospital wing at Hogwarts." harry asked turning to Remus

"Yes harry ill get her where else would you be?" Remus chuckled

After Remus had left the room, Harry turned to Ginny saying, "Gods I've missed you, gin"

"Well, you could have come back any time couldn't you?" she said suddenly turning away.

"No, Gin, I couldn't of. Believe me there were times when I thought that it would have been easier to turn around and run away from my problems, to come back and take you away from here to somewhere where it would have been safe but then I realized that he wouldn't have stopped at the isles he would have moved to the continent and eventually to the Americas. Nowhere would have been safe that's why I didn't come home because the least safe place was wherever I was and I wouldn't ever put you in a place of danger. I…couldn't do that. Because I…I…I love you." he finished quietly after starting his rant.

Ginny turned back to face him, tears in her eyes "oh harry, do you mean it?"

"Of course I do. You were the reason that I kept going. If it hadn't been for you I might have just left after I woke up or left before my task was done but I stayed because I knew that as long as you were alive I had a reason to fight. I do love you ginny more than anything or anyone else on this planet."

Grinning ginny replied "only on this planet eh… so you might find someone else on another maybe take Cho to mars."

"You know what I mean ginny my world revolves around you before you my life had one meaning to destroy Voldemort now I have a new meaning to live and maybe if you'll have me spend the rest of my life with you?"

Shocked ginny questioned, "Harry, was that a proposal?"

This time it was Harry's turn to grin, "Not until you've finished school, then you'll get a real one."

At that ginny sprung on top of harry wrapping her arms around him kissing him with all of the passion that she could muster. Recovering from the shock of having the younger sister of his best friend on top of him it only took harry a second to begin to return the kiss with all that he was worth.

"hem, hem…." interrupted a very amused professor McGonagall followed by Remus, Madame Pomphrey, and Ginny's parents, Arthur and Molly Weasley, several minutes later.

"Miss Weasley please get off of mister potter so that I can give him the quick once over." said madame pomphrey. Once ginny was off harry and Mme. Pomphrey had finished giving him a quick physical exam and declared him healthy professor McGonagall turned to harry saying.

"potter… harry I think that its time you told us what happened that night." once again harry became the sullen boy that had often been found in the recent headmasters office explaining himself it took the touch of ginny next to him to bring him back and remind him that he was not in trouble and that the headmistress was only asking so that harry might not have to face the public without having his story already been heard.

"Yes ma'am, I guess now that we're done its okay to tell you what Ron Hermione and I have been doing for the last year. However, what I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room. Do you know what a horcrux is?" after affirming that she did harry went on" well for ginny whom I'm assuming doesn't know due to the fact that you don't teach about them here it's an object which a dark wizard puts part of his soul into. It's only a part because without a soul the body cannot exist. To make one the soul must be broken and that can only be done through the most evil of actions killing another person. That's what Ron Hermione and I have been hunting down for the last year Voldemort horcruxes."

At this professor McGonagall interrupted, "potter did you say horcrux_es_? I've never heard of more than one being made by a single person."

"Yes professor I said horcruxes as in multiple. Voldemort had six….seven I guess not including the bit of his soul which resided in his body. He began making them while he was here at school. The first was created after he killed his father up to the most recent with the death of Cedric. If you're wandering what they are that's not important just know that they're all gone. After I killed his pet snake out in the forbidden forest, yes it was in the forest making its way to the school, my head began to hurt and I saw the ministry under attack. At that point I sent Ron and Hermione to headquarters to get help. And I apparated directly to the lobby of the ministry of magic. As soon as I got there DeathEaters set on me and I began to immobilize as many as I could. There were too many, I had to start using lethal spells but never the killing curse I was only going to use that one once. Eventually I mad my way to Voldemort. I was tired but I knew that I had to take him out. We began to duel and it became obvious that I had taken on more than I should of after several rounds of the cruciatus curse I realized that he was just toying with me. He cast the killing curse at me but it never hit wormtail I mean peter was laying dead at my feet or at least almost dead; it seems that his silver hand was another horcrux created after he found out about the destruction of the diary. I don't know how but the hand kept peter from dieing immediately he let out two words 'for Lilly' I don't know why but I think that he was talking about my mother. Voldemort laughed and said that it didn't matter if 'that one' was destroyed as long as he had the others. After I informed him that I had destroyed the others as well he cast the killing curse at me again, and my scar felt like it was going to cut through my skull through the pain I saw his body fall lifeless to the ground. Then o passed out and woke up here." as he closed his story he noticed that all in the room were a pale white and staring at him with open mouths. Remus was sitting in the chair which had recently been occupied by the youngest Weasley in the room, quietly sobbing for the loss of the last of his childhood friends. Noticing this harry began to apologize but was cut off by the werewolf.

"No harry its okay, if he hadn't died in that battle I was going to kill him myself after I had recovered from the full moon I'm just glad that he died the hero's death that he was honored for the first time." Rising up Remus left the room to return to the great hall moll comfortingly wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Mme. Pomphrey having left the room quite some time ago harry found himself alone with professor McGonagall, Arthur Weasley, and Ginny.

Following a few minutes of silence Mr. Weasley began, "gin, why don't you go wait outside…"

But was cut off by harry, "its alright Mr. Weasley I intent to have Ginny right by my side for quite some time she can hear whatever you have to say to me."

"Well then I guess that you should know that minister Scrimgeour has resigned his position due to the attack on the ministry. With the rest of the office heads being murdered over the last year, by the way thank you so much for allowing molly and I to stay a Grimmauld Place, I have been selected by the Wizengamot to act as the minister of magic until the next public elections which happen to not be for another two years. Anyway harry, as the minister of magic I am here to personally offer you a position in the Auror office."

"mister Weasley, or would you prefer if I called you minister when your on official business, either way I am honored by the offer however I must decline, and for several reasons. Up to this point I have wanted to be an Auror since my fourth year when the impostor professor mood told me that I would make a fine one. However after the battle which occurred three days ago my priorities have been brought back to me and the most important thing right now is family and I cannot have one of those and be putting myself into danger every week. Equally important is that I don't want to be given a position just because I'm harry potter the savior or the Wizarding world especially because I didn't kill tom riddle peter Pettigrew did, it would not be fair to those who have earned the required owls in order to enter the Auror training program when I never even graduated from school."

At this professor McGonagall began to speak, "well potter perhaps you would consider taking a position at hogw…"

However harry cut her off too, "I'm sorry professor but I cannot take a position here either once again I have not received the newt scores that I would need to become a teacher besides the only part of the world that I have seen is dank caves where Voldemort hid parts of his soul. Now onto matters which need to be taken care of minister can you tell me what happened to Severus Snape I saw him at the battle?"

At this Arthur became very serious, "yes he's in Azkaban going to be one of the first to be put to death next week he was found unconscious inside the atrium at the ministry after the battle."

At this harry became worried, "minister please I know that suicide is illegal in our world and that murder is even more frowned upon but you must take Severus off of the death list. I confronted him about six months ago while searching for one of the horcruxes. I had him on his knees and was about to cast a curse which would have ended his life in a very messy way when he asked for one thing as it is customary to give those about to be executed one last request I obliged he asked me to look into his mind something he knew that I could do due to our sessions at occlumency while looking into his mind he showed me a memory of Albus asking him that if it should come down to it and Draco was forced into a situation where he must kill Dumbledore that Severus do it. He then told me of the poison which professor Dumbledore had taken earlier that night by my hand, its effects were irreversible and Dumbledore would have died within the hour anyway, he was ending his pain. Please if you don't believe me ask his portrait in the headmistress's office."

"Harry if you are sure about this then I'll take him off the list but I cant give him a pardon" mister Weasley replied

"I know you can't but you can have his sentence reduced to oh say a year." harry remarked slyly.

At this mister Weasley was truly astonished. "Yes, yes, I'll get right on it."

As minister Weasley left the room to reduce the sentence given to Severus Snape, harry potter turned to the girl who had remained quiet through much of the recent conversation.

"Ginny I know that I said that I never wanted you to leave my side again but this time it is a necessary evil, could I have a moment alone with your headmistress?" he asked plainly.

After a quick kiss and a word of "see you later, love" Ginny left the room as well. Turning to the headmistress of Hogwarts with a twinkle in his eye which would have made the late Dumbledore very proud, Harry began to speak, "professor I have a special request, and I know that it's never been done before but these are special circumstances..."

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**remember this is my first fic so please be nice im open to criticism though just dont use that review button to make rude comments i dont need any more spam mail. if you have a criticism to make please make sure that it is well thought out i dont need "your story sucks" thats just not nice.**


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